Fix the World
Episode 10, Fight Infectious Disease
Globally, more than 8.3 million people, most of them poor, die of infectious disease. Some 80% of these diseases are waterborne and spread by hands. Clean water, sanitation, and soap are effective and cheap means to preventing infection. But almost half of all people lack adequate sanitation, and half of these lack clean water and soap. A billion people have no toilets. Many more lack toilet paper. Without such sanitation essentials, human excretions and the germs then carry find their way into peoples' food and water. But sanitation and clean water are extremely cost-effective. For ever dollar spent on these essentials, four dollars is saved in health care costs. Everyone in the world could have access to adequate sanitation and safe water for $10 billion/year. Americans have safe water from faucets, but choose to spend $16 billion/year on bottled water, most of it in plastic disposable bottles that end up as pollution. For that amount of money, the whole world could have adequate sanitation and safe water. Let's do that.
Globally, more than 8.3 million people, most of them poor, die of infectious disease. Some 80% of these diseases are waterborne and spread by hands. Clean water, sanitation, and soap are effective and cheap means to preventing infection. But almost half of all people lack adequate sanitation, and half of these lack clean water and soap. A billion people have no toilets. Many more lack toilet paper. Without such sanitation essentials, human excretions and the germs then carry find their way into peoples' food and water. But sanitation and clean water are extremely cost-effective. For ever dollar spent on these essentials, four dollars is saved in health care costs. Everyone in the world could have access to adequate sanitation and safe water for $10 billion/year. Americans have safe water from faucets, but choose to spend $16 billion/year on bottled water, most of it in plastic disposable bottles that end up as pollution. For that amount of money, the whole world could have adequate sanitation and safe water. Let's do that.